The Story Behind The Image; Wannabe Surfer

I know he is thinking, "I should be out there." From a 2007 JPEG file (click to enlarge)
Nikon D200, Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens @ 82mm; 1/180th sec. @ f/8; ISO 100

Before I retired I had to travel to Hawaii ten times in four years for business.  At first thought, that sounds great, ten all expense paid trips to Hawaii but from the east coast of the United States it is a very long day getting there and a very long night coming back. Not fun.  Couple that with the fact that I'm not a big fan of flying (feel like cattle being herded to the stockyards) and that made the journey all the more unpleasant.  However, once I was there, it is very nice!  I'm in no way complaining, however, as I probably would not have gotten to Hawaii otherwise.  So I am grateful, indeed.

On the other hand my work schedule was packed full and I didn't have a lot of free time while there. (In Hawaii but no free time; what is wrong with that picture?) I always tried to stay in Honolulu at a hotel in the Waikiki Beach area because of logistical reasons and there is so much to do at night when I had some free time. In other words, lots of opportunities for street photography.  Most of the time I had to take a very early flight to one of the other islands, work all day, then fly back to Oahu in the evenings.  My business trips normally lasted from 5-8 days but I did have a couple of trips which carried over to a weekend, so that was a nice little bonus.  By the time I returned to Virginia, I was pretty worn out.

Of course, I couldn't pass up the photographic opportunities that Hawaii presented so If I had time, I would go out early in the mornings or late in the afternoons/evenings to photograph. It made no sense to me to change my awake/sleep schedule for just a week (either a 5 hour or 6 hour difference between Hawaii time and US east coast time depending upon whether or not Daylight Savings Time had kicked in) so I "slept in" to about 4:30 a.m., made coffee in my hotel room (another less than wonderful experience) and did a little work, then at 5:30 a.m. McDonald's at Waikiki Beach (corner of Kalakaua and Liliuokalani avenues) would open.  I could get a proper cup of coffee, then sit on a bench across the street on the beach and watch the day break.  From there, I would return to the hotel, gather my work materials and head out for the day.

I loved that very early morning time of day as it was quiet.  The only noise at that time of day was the soft crashing of the waves and the occasional car passing. The only other people around were the homeless who slept on the beach and nearby benches.  There are a lot of people living on the beach, in parks and the surrounds in Hawaii.  Lots more than you would expect—and permanently. Whole communities of people. During my visits there, I asked several about their lives and most told me they had jobs but couldn't afford an apartment so they lived in a tent in a park near the beach.  The weather certainly wasn't a factor in outdoor living.  The authorities would come by after dawn and gently remind them to leave so the tourists didn't see them.   That was something that was totally unexpected.

Okay, enough.  Now about the image...

This image was made at one of those times in the afternoon when I had time to wander and photograph. This image was made on Waikiki Beach, which was always pretty crowded during the day. I always traveled light by necessity.  I carried my camera in hand with a wrist strap so I didn't have to carry a bag.  I would take one camera body and one lens on my business trips.  On this trip I took my Nikon D200 and the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, extra battery, charger and polarizing filter.  That was it.  I would walk around and just observe my surroundings.  When I saw something of interest, I would raise the camera to my eye and press the shutter.  There were other times when I was able to use the rental car to travel around the islands and photograph the countryside and the North Shore of Oahu.  The ability to use a rental car allowed me to see the "real" Hawaii outside of the touristy areas.  Nice benefit of just being there.

I saw this young man standing on the beach with an unusual posture just staring out at the surfers in the distance.  Immediately, his body language told me that he really wanted to be out there.  I made two quick exposures before he changed positions.  As is with most images of this nature, they are fleeting.  You must act quickly or the opportunity is lost.  I thought this image came together nicely.  

Hawaii is a wonderful place to visit for photography as well as for many other reasons.  I plan to go back one more time, but next time for pleasure only.  Photography will be a major part of my next and last trip out there.  If you have a chance to go, you should. You can make great memories and great photographs.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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